Emergency front-liners across two emirates who helped Filipino workers leave the United Arab Emirates safely during the Middle East crisis have been singled out for thanks by Philippine labor officials in Abu Dhabi.
The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Abu Dhabi handed plaques of appreciation to partners in aviation, immigration, policing, customs, and the church, recognizing the role each played in moving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) out of the country as regional tensions disrupted travel and employment earlier this year. Recipients were based in Fujairah and Sharjah, with a separate plaque presented to Fr. Chito Bartolo in Abu Dhabi.
Labor Attaché Ma. Teresa Olgado led the recognition together with Iris Cabebe-Asis of MWO-Abu Dhabi. They extended the gesture on behalf of the Philippine Embassy and the wider Filipino community in the UAE, alongside Ambassador Alfonso Ferdinand Ver.
The honors followed months of coordinated government flights that brought thousands of Filipinos home after the regional conflict escalated. The repatriation drive drew on a network of agencies and private partners who processed departures, cleared passengers through immigration and customs, and provided pastoral and logistical support at assembly points and airports.
Officials said the partners helped ensure that affected workers were treated with care and dignity, and moved with urgency, as they returned to their families in the Philippines.
The MWO in Abu Dhabi serves as the main labor arm of the embassy in handling OFW welfare cases, covering legal aid, repatriation support, and dispute resolution for Filipinos working in the emirate and surrounding areas. The recognition extends that mandate outward, acknowledging the local institutions whose cooperation made the safe exit of distressed workers possible during one of the most disruptive periods for the community in recent years.
